Lhikan (Pirates)
The Lone Hero of Metru Nui. Lhikan was the legendary and highly regarded Toa Mangai of Fire. The successor of Toa Dume, Lhikan led not only the Toa Mangai, but also the Toa side of the Toa-Dark Hunter War. While his deeds put him on a pedestal for Toa of Fire to look up to, his life is not as glorious as his victories make it seem. He was the sole survivor of an attack on a fortress, his fellow Metru Nui guardians either went mad and disappeared or betrayed the City of Legends, and the rest of his teammates were all unceremoniously killed. All alone, Lhikan had a great weight put on his shoulders as the sole protector of the City. However, a conspiracy taking root within it may just be the death of him. Thankfully, he had prepared a legacy to continue his work. If the cataclysmic events to come do not get in the way first. Biography Early life Lhikan lived in Ta-Metru as a Crafter. While he wasn't reputatble in his work, his occupation was decent enough for him. As a reward for winning a Crafting contest, Lhikan was bestowed a custom-shaped golden Kanohi Hau made by a Mask-Maker named Nuhrii. One day, Lhikan was doing errands in a district when he was saved from getting run over by a stolen transport by a Toa of Fire named Dume, who had come to Metru Nui to help apprehend a criminal gang. In the brief moment of interaction, Dume took notice and saw interest in Lhikan's potential, deciding to keep him in mind for later. The small instance of excitement became a factor in Lhikan's decision to move to a more rural village on the Planet and left Metru Nui to pursue a less dangerous life. Making himself at home in a village on the Northen Continent, Lhikan was later approached by Dume, who gave him a Toa Stone and recruited him to take his place as the Toa Mangai of Fire. Hesitant at first, Lhikan agreed to the proposition. Lhikan then transformed into a Toa and joined the other Toa Mangai at a Toa Fortress, where he continued Dume's work in protecting an artifact called the Makoki Stone. Thoughout the years he spent guarding it, Lhikan never knew the reason behind its importance. Toa Mangai While a novice Toa, Lhikan was successful in helping the other Toa Mangai defend the Fortress from various attacks. He also suffered from visions that he didn't understand, though he saw that the Fortress would be in ruins. Almost immediately following an attack by Dark Hunters, the fortress came under siege by Frostelus, a mysterious species of Rahi. The Toa Mangai were too exhausted by their fight with the Dark Hunters and it became clear the battle would be lost. The team's leader then ordered Lhikan, who was the least tired of the team, to take the Makoki Stone and flee. Lhikan reluctantly agreed, only to find that in the confusion with the Frostelus, the Dark Hunters had apparently snuck into the fortress and stolen the Stone. Lhikan was the only survivor of the crisis and vowed to never run away from anything ever again. It was also this time Lhikan realized the visions he saw were of the future. Lhikan later found a posthumous message from the leader about how in case of an occurrence like this, he and the other Toa Mangai had sent Toa Stones to several individuals to replace them at the advice of Dume, who Lhikan deduced also experienced visions. The message also proclaimed a faith in Lhikan that he would step up as the new team's mentor and leader, just as Dume had been for the first incarnation. Seeing a large team of Toa in a vision, Lhikan continued his Toa career while preparing to run into the second generation Toa Mangai. Kanohi Dragon Waiting for the other new Toa Mangai for years, Lhikan received a message from the now Turaga Dume, who had become the leader of Metru Nui, to come to the City of Legends to deal with a crisis. Lhikan returned to his former home and found himself meeting the new Toa he had been waiting a long time for. Dume briefed them on how the City was under attack by the reawakened Kanohi Dragon and the new generation of Toa Mangai headed off to face the monster. The size of the group, which added up to eleven due to some mishaps with the sent out Toa Stones, caused problems within the team's coordination. Lhikan took charge, and the Toa Mangai managed to defeat the Dragon after a month-long battle by freezing it. Deeming it too dangerous to remain in Metru Nui, the Toa Mangai and Dume sent the Dragon to Xia. With their work done and their group assembled, the Toa Mangai left Metru Nui to lend their services to those in other lands. It was during this time that Lhikan happened upon a forbidden knowledge known as the Truth. Shocked but gaining more insight from it, Lhikan convinced his fellow Toa to make Metru Nui their home as the City and its Matoran needed to be as protected as much as possible. From that point on, Lhikan and two other Toa, Nidhiki and Tuyet, primarily stayed in Metru Nui while the others alternatively went on missions elsewhere, so as to give the City some protection even while most of its Toa were away. Eventually, the other eight Toa realized they preferred the wide open spaces as opposed to the clustered urban environment and permanently stayed outside of the City, but kept in touch with Lhikan. The Toa of Fire was concerned as his visions told him of great tragedy to befall the Toa Mangai. Tuyet's Betrayal Turaga Dume began enforcing order in Metru Nui by commissioning robotic Vahki law enforcers, to which Lhikan and Nidhiki wholehearted objected. Lhikan discovered a murdered Ta-Matoran with a tablet bearing Tuyet's name on the corpse. Confronting the Toa of Water, she denied knowledge of the murder. Soon, Lhikan found more bodies with the same item on them and confronted Tuyet about it once more. The Toa of Water relented that an artifact known as the Nui Stone was hidden within the City, and that the Dark Hunters were in pursuit of it. They were after her under suspicion that she was in possession of the Stone, which she denies. Tuyet explained that the kllings were a form of countdown until she gave the Stone up. The next day, Lhikan and Nidhiki fought with three Dark Hunters who they believed to be the perpetrators of the murders. They managed to arrest them eventually. That night, however, another body was discovered. Nidhiki told Lhikan new details he unearthed that contradicted Tuyet's alibi and the Toa of Fire interrogated Tuyet once again, while also finding the Nui Stone hidden in her home. Tuyet admits to the murders and declared that she intended to use the power of the Nui Stone to wipe out the Matoran's enemies. Empowered by the Stone, Tuyet battled with Lhikan and Nidhiki after offering both to side with her. The conflict ended once Lhikan separated the Stone from Tuyet, knocking her out. Lhikan destroyed the Stone with a fireball, much to Nidhiki's anger. Tuyet would soon be imprisoned within the Colisseum, only to mysterious vanish from her cell the next day. Nidhiki failed to take the news well and became more antagonistic towards his leader, forever tainting whatever respect and kinship he and Lhikan had prior to Tuyet's murder spree. Toa/Dark Hunter War Lhikan soon discovered that Dume was also aware of the Truth. With this knowledge in mind, Dume had become paranoid over recent events such as the incident with the Nui Stone. While he angrily disagreed with Dume's decision to force the Matoran of Metru Nui to work more than before, Lhikan was ultimately forced to play along with the stubborn Turaga's choices as he understood the context of them. The Dark Hunters declared full-scale war on Metru Nui after they were forbidden to set up a base there and news of the attitude towards their members reached the Shadowed One. Lhikan was reunited with the other Toa Mangai, who ended up being generals of the army of Toa that came to lend their aid to the City. Nidhiki's relationship with the other Toa Mangai, especially Lhikan, continued to fall apart due to his belief that Tuyet was killed while imprisoned, blaming his leader for the apparent transgression. When Nidhiki left to meet supply boats, really reinforcement Toa, Lhikan noticed that he left without hearing the necessary information. Lhikan followed the Toa of Air, and saw him meeting with the Dark Hunter Lariska. Nidhiki had betrayed Metru Nui. Shortly afterwards, Lhikan was met by a Dark Hunter codenamed "Bully." "Bully" struck a deal with Lhikan: in exchange for the safe leave of the Dark Hunters and their surrender, "Bully" would give Lhikan the Makoki Stone he believed was lost. Remembering what the Stone meant, Lhikan accepted the deal. Lhikan later led about a hundred Toa into the Canyon of Unending Whispers based on information given by Nidhiki. The Toa were ambushed by Dark Hunters, but Lhikan, anticipating Nidhiki's deception, had over two hundred Toa in hiding at the location. Outnumbered, the Dark Hunters agreed to leave, but Lhikan forced them to take Nidhiki with them. As agreed, "Bully" handed the Makoki Stone over to the Toa of Fire. Lhikan later realized that "Bully" had handed the stone over to save his own skin and without consent from the Dark Hunters' leaders. Lhikan also discovered the Stone's true purpose and split it into six pieces, hiding them across Metru Nui. Twilight Days Years after the Toa/Dark Hunter War, Lhikan is now the sole protector of Metru Nui. Much to everyone's surprise, he is effective despite the size of his work field. The Toa of Fire also briefly made friends with a Kikanalo alpha, who was temporarily his steed. As time passed on, Lhikan recieved continuous news that the rest of the Toa Mangai had been killed on missions, either by "accidents" or battles against creatures and Dark Hunters. He also recieved news that Nidhiki had not only become a Dark Hunter, but has also mutated into a hideous four-legged creature. Considering his mortality for the first time in years, Lhikan created six Toa Stones and hid them in the Great Temple just in case. Some time later, Lhikan then found himself hounded by Nidhiki and his new partner Krekka. Upon noticing Turaga Dume's strange changes in mannerisms, Lhikan began suspecting that the Turaga that was currently ruling the City was an imposter. Knowing that time is short as the Dark Hunters were sure to catch up with him, Lhikan embued his Toa power into the six stones and headed to each individual Metru. Based on a vision, Lhikan sought out his successors, while also foreseeing that the rest of the Matoran, the "heart of Metru Nui," will be in great danger. Lhikan traveled quickly through each Metru, trying to avoid any signs of the Dark Hunters as much as possible while handing the stones to the Matoran he foresaw. Lhikan reached the final Matoran, the Mask-Maker Vakama, who Lhikan tried to warn about the possible visions the Ta-Matoran may have due to being of the same Element. However, his hastened explanations came off as confusing and vague. Giving the stone to Vakama, Lhikan was confronted by Nidhiki and Krekka, who captured him. Lhikan was taken to a prison in the Canyon of Unending Whispers, where Nidhiki cruelly mocked him for his past failures before throwing him into a cell. Lhikan then changed into a Turaga, signaling the transformation of the Matoran into Toa. Turaga Three of the Matoran-turned Toa, Onewa, Whenua, and Nuju were captured and sent to the same prison as Lhikan, who wore a helmet to conceal his identity. The trio were shocked to see a Turaga other than Dume. Knowing that they must hurry to escape, Lhikan trained the Toa to unlock their Kanohi Mask Powers, as their elemental powers were drained from battling the Morbuzahk plant. Eventually, Nuju managed to use his Matatu to telekinetically create a hole in the wall, through which Lhikan and the Toa escaped. The group traveled along an Archives tunnel, where they ran into the other half of their team. The other half, which consisted of Vakama, Nokama and Matau, were searching for Lhikan, believing him to be the "heart of Metru Nui" that he told Vakama to protect. Revealing himself, Lhikan sadly informed the Toa that the Matoran was the heart. The group also discovered the true Turaga Dume in the tunnel, comatose and within a Matoran Sphere. Seeing this, Lhikan realized that his suspicions were true: Dume had been replaced by an imposter. Speeding towards the Coliseum in a Vahki Transporter, the Toa and Lhikan found themselves too late as the false Dume had encased the entire Matoran population with the Spheres. The imposter then revealed himself to be Makuta Teridax. The Makuta then absorbed a huge amount of power from the Coliseum as the Great Spirit Mata Nui fell into a sleep. As Teridax absorbed power, the Toa and Lhikan took the oppurtunity to load as many Matoran Spheres as they could onto the Vahki Transporter and attempted to escape from Metru Nui via the Great Barrier. However, Teridax caught up with them and Vakama attempted to confront him with the Kanohi Vahi, the Mask of Time which Teridax ordered Vakama to craft while disguised as Dume. Reaching the dueling pair, Lhikan dove in front of a Shadow Blast from the Makuta, shielding Vakama. Fatally wounded, Lhikan gave the Toa of Fire his mask and attempted to express his pride towards his successor. However, he was unable to when he was interrupted by the Great Barrier cracking apart. A huge tidal wave rolled through the Planet, sweeping up Vakama and Lhikan, who died in the process. Vakama survived, but never had the chance to hear his predecessor's last words, leaving him to continue doubting himself and protectively holding onto Lhikan's mask. Legacy Vakama still has Lhikan's Kanohi, keeping it with him at all times and being protective of it. The Toa Metru's ship was christened the Lhikan in remembrance of the Turaga. In serious moments of doubt and stress, Vakama would hallucinate a disapproving Lhikan looking down on him, feeding his insecurities further. Abilities and traits Prefering a life of peace, Lhikan spent much of his Matoran life moving from place to place when something he deemed too dangerous or exciting occurred. However, his potential as a future Toa was still visible as Toa Dume had kept him in mind as his successor. This cautious attitude transferred into his life as a Toa, which made him always alert for threats but often gets him to be worried about nothing. Learning from his visions of the future, Lhikan became a patient person, which helped him in waiting for the moment when his generation of the Toa Mangai would come together and when training the three Toa Metru in unlocking their Mask powers, despite the fact that they were losing time. His patience also allowed him to become a second-in-command to Dume in the eyes of the Matoran, as he took the time to listen to their problems and could be found settling disputes. Because of his past mistakes, Lhikan disliked discussing his history. As a Toa of Fire, Lhikan could create, control and absorb fire, and was considered to be one of the most skilled in doing so by peers and Matoran alike. His precision in projecting his Element made him well known across the Planet. Lhikan also experienced precognative visions of the future, which he theorized he inherited from Dume due to being of the same Element. Lhikan lost this ability when he became Turaga due to his Toa power transforming Vakama, who inherited this ability. Mask and tools Lhikan carried a pair of Fire Greatswords, which could be attached together to form a hoverboard. He used this took primarily for transportation around Metru Nui. As a Turaga, Lhikan took a broken firestaff he found in his prison as his badge of office. He also carried a shield that was similar to a smaller version of his hoverboard. Lhikan wore a golden Great Kanohi Hau, the Mask of Shielding, which allowed him to protect himself against expected and foreseeable attacks but not from ambushes. His Great Kanohi turned into a Noble version upon transformation in a Turaga. Appearances *''Pirates: The Regathering'' - Vision Trivia *Lhikan's theme. *This version of Lhikan takes inspiration from Obi-Wan Kenobi. *Lhikan's visions was a way of giving Vakama's visions an explanation. *Lhikan's Kikanalo steed is a reference to the Kikanalo his set came with. Category:Pirates Universe Category:Toa of Fire Category:Toa Category:Fire Category:Turaga